Computer Networking Principles

ICS 216

Classification of computer networks

 Classification of computer
networks
• There is no generally accepted taxonomy into which all
computer networks fit
• Two dimensions stand out: transmission technology and
scale
 Classification of computer
networks

Transmission technology dimension

 Classification of computer
networks
• There are broadly two types of transmission technologies
 Broadcast links
 Point to point links
Broadcast networks
 Broadcast networks
• Broadcast systems have a single communication channel
that is shared by all the machines on the network.
• Packets sent by any machine are received by all others.
 Broadcast networks
• An address field within the packet specifies for whom it is
intended.
• Upon receiving a packet, a machine checks the address
field. If the packet is intended for some other machine it is
ignored.
 Broadcast networks
• Broadcast systems generally also allow the possibility of
addressing a packet to all destinations by using a special
code in the address field.
• When a packet with this code is transmitted, it is received
and processed by every machine on the network.
• This mode of operation is called broadcasting
 Broadcast networks
• Some broadcast systems also support transmission to a
subset of the machines, something known as multicasting.
• May be achieved by reserving one bit for multicasting with
the remaining n-1 bits address bits holding the group
number
• Each machine can subscribe to any or all of the groups
• When a packet is sent to a certain group, it is delivered to
all machines subscribing to the group
Point-to-point networks
 Point to point Networks
• Point to point networks consist of many connections
between individual machines
• The network contains numerous cables or leased telephone
lines which link individual computers indirectly via
intermediate computers.
 Point to point networks
• If two individual computers that do not share a cable
nevertheless wish to communicate, they must do this
indirectly via intermediate machines
• Often multiple routes of different lengths are possible
 Point-to-point networks
• Point-to-point transmission with one sender and one
receiver is often called unicasting
 Point-to-point networks
• A general rule:
 Smaller geographically localized networks tend to use
broadcasting
 Larger networks tend to use point-to-point
classification of computer
networks

Scale dimension
 classification of computer
networks

• An alternative criterion for classifying networks is their

scale
• These can be divided into
 Local Area networks (LAN)
 Wide area networks (WAN)
 Metropolitan area networks (MAN)
 Internetworks
 classification of computer
networks

Classification of computer networks by scale

Local area networks
 Local area networks
• LANS are usually privately owned. The owning
organization usually owns all the attached devices.
• They are widely used to connect Personal computers and
workstations in offices to share resources and exchange
information
• The management responsibilities of a LAN are carried out
solely by the owning organization
 Local area networks
• LANs can be distinguished from other kinds of networks
by their
 Size
 Transmission technology
 Topology
 Local area networks
• Size
 A LAN covers a small geographical area
 A LAN is usually the interconnection of a collection of
computer systems in a single building or a cluster of
buildings
 Network is usually up to a few kilometers in size
 In TCP/IP networking, a LAN is often but not
always implemented as a single IP subnet.
 Cost low (thousands of dollars).
 Local area networks
• Transmission technology
 A cable to which all machines are attached and can
transmit
 The internal data rates of LANs are typically high
(10Mbps-10 Gbps).
 Local area networks
• Topology: Various topologies are possible for broadcast
LANS
 Bus
 Ring
 Local area networks

Two broadcast networks (a) Bus (b) Ring

 Local area networks
• Characteristics
• Geographical scope?
• Ownership?
• Transmission Technology?
Metropolitan area networks
 Metropolitan area networks
• A MAN covers a medium-size geographic region (e.g.
entire town or city).
 A MAN is larger than a LAN and smaller than a WAN
and is constrained to a defined geographical area.
• A MAN may be controlled by an organization, or by a
Telecommunications provider or may be a regional
resource.
 Metropolitan area networks
• Best known example of a MAN is the cable television
network
• This type of network is based on high bandwidth copper
wire and/or fiber optic cabling installed in towns and cities
for the transmission of television programming and other
services directly to peoples homes over distances of up to
50 kilometers .
 Metropolitan area networks
• A number of television channels collected at a central
location (called a headend) is distributed to subscribers
within a community by means of a network of optical
fibers and/or coaxial cables.
 Metropolitan area networks
• With the increased use of internet, cable TV systems are
now offering two way internet services in the unused part
of the spectrum.
• Both the TV signals and internet are being fed into the
headend for subsequent distribution into peoples homes.
 Metropolitan area networks

Metropolitan area network based on cable TV

 Metropolitan area networks
• Characteristics
• Geographical scope?
• Ownership?
• Transmission Technology?
Wide area networks
 Wide area networks
• A WAN covers a large geographical area (e.g a country or
continent).
• Typically a WAN is a geographically-dispersed
collection of LANs.
• Connects multiple LANs to one another over great
geographic distances, the size of a country or continent.
• The type of WAN can be Enterprise wide Private network
(leased circuits) or simply use Public carrier networks.
 Wide area networks
• Most organizations do not build their own WANs by
laying cables, building Microwave towers or sending up
satellites.
• Instead most organizations lease circuits from Public
communication providers and use those to transmit their
data.
• They require crossing of public right-of-ways. Hence
WANs depend on telecommunication providers for actual
data transmission when communicating computers are
located in different sites.
 Wide area networks
• WAN circuits come in all Types and sizes but typically
span hundreds or thousands of miles and provide data
transmission rates from 56Kbps to 10Gbps.
• The speed available on a WAN varies depending on the
cost of the connections (which increases with distance) and
may be low
 Wide area networks
• WANs operate using an interconnection of routers which
can "choose" the most appropriate path for data to take to
reach a network node
 Wide area networks

Relationship between hosts and subnet

 Wide area networks
• The network consists of a collection of user machines
(hosts) connected to a communication subnet.
• The subnet, typically owned and operated by a telephone
company or internet service provider, consists of a
number of inter connected switching nodes (or routers).
• The transmission lines interconnecting routers can be
made of copper wire or optical fiber or even radio links
 Wide area networks
• The job of the subnet is to carry messages from source
host to destination host.
• A transmission is routed through these internal nodes to
the specified destination device. These nodes are not
concerned with the content of the data but the moving data
from node to node until they reach destination.
• Traditionally WANs have been implemented using one of
two technologies: Circuit switching and packet switching.
More recently we have Frame relay and ATM networks
• The Speed of data transmission over a WAN is usually
slower than the speed of data transmission over a LAN
 Wide area networks

Sending from source host to destination host

Internetworks
 Internetworks
• An internetwork is a collection of networks that are
interconnected together
• People connected to one type of network often want to
communicate with people attached to a different one. This
requires incompatible networks to be connected. E.g.
 LAN and WAN or
 LAN and LAN
• Internetworking means connecting different types of
networks that use different technologies such as Ethernet,
ATM, FDDI.
 Internetworks
• An internetwork is therefore a logical network built around
multiple separate physical networks.
• These different networks are connected, sometimes by
means of machines called gateways to make connections
and provide the necessary translation in terms of both
hardware and software
 Internetworks
• A common form of internet is a collection of LANs
connected by a WAN
 LAN-WAN-LAN
• The world wide Internet is the most widely used
interconnection of networks to which a large number of
networks are connected.
• The Internet is an internetwork of widely used networks.
 Internetworks
• While Internet is a specific world-wide connection of
networks, internet is a generic term.
 Internetworks
• Additional Reading/Assignment:
• Personal Area Network
• Storage Area Network
• System Area Network
• Intranet/Extranet
 References
• Local Area networks by Behrouz A. Forouzan Chapter 1
Questions?